Heavy duty over the highway trucks are typically equipped with a single piece hood and fender assembly that pivots on hinges connected to the front of the frame rails. Many techniques are used for fixing the rear portion of the hood and fender assembly in the closed position. For example on some trucks simple elastomeric bands are stretched between the rear of the hood and fender assembly and the cab.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,637,531 and 6,394,211 which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, disclose a mounting system that uses latches mounted on struts connected to the frame rails to fix the rear portion of the hood and fender assembly in the closed position while isolating the hood and fender assembly from the operator cab. The system described in those patents addresses several problems associated with the connection between the hood and fender assembly and the truck. Flexure of the truck body that translates into movement of the hood and fender assembly can be transmitted to the operator cab causing vibration and noise. To mitigate the effects of hood and fender assembly movement on the cab, the patented system mounts the hood and fender assembly directly to the vehicle frame to isolate the cab from the hood and fender assembly.
Another challenge related to the rear connection of the hood and fender assembly to the truck is that the connecting means needs to allow for variations in the position of the hood and fender assembly along the frame rails or with respect to the cab due to tolerance stack up, dynamic loading while the vehicle is in use, and also changes in hood and fender geometry as the assembly wears. This issue is addressed by the patented system by providing a conical shaped bracket that engages the latch pin and guides it into engagement with the keeper.